The above Scriptural quote from the book of Deuteronomy shall serve as the basis for this third week’s meditation on stewardship. The two parts of this meditation are "commitment" and "consistency." Commitment refers to an intentional and considered pledge of our time, talent, and treasure as a return to God for his gifts to us. Consistency refers to a gift back to God that is regular and invariable. Let’s look at these two elements in more detail.

We have been writing in these last two weeks about Thinking Our Thanksgiving. One outcome of Thinking Our Thanksgiving is in making our gifts regularly, not sporadically. To highlight this, I would like to continue the analogy from the first part of this series. We all recognize the vast difference between spending the time and energy to shop for a child’s birthday present or an anniversary gift, and considering what gift would be suitable, how much should appropriately be spent, and how it should be wrapped. There is that inherent sense of satisfaction and pride when a gift is thusly chosen. This is substantively different from the last minute frantic search for something to give, or the casual purchase of the first thing that strikes the eye, just in order to "have something to give." Even should the gifts in all cases be the same, the recipient would feel disappointed should he discover that the gift given, though valuable in itself, was not given with careful thought.

Consider another example. Do you tell your spouse that you love her through loving actions, such as gifts of flowers, making a special dinner, making the bed, putting away your clothes, leaving little notes? Do you do so on a regular basis? Do you do so of your own volition, or only as a response to your spouse doing something for you? Which of these scenarios is preferable? Of course we desire, both for ourselves, and for our spouses, that our actions that say "I love you" should be "pre-emptive" and consistent. Along with other elements, this is a sign of spousal love—that the spouse is conscious of his love, desires to demonstrate it, and does so in a proactive manner.

Our relationship to the Trinity—to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is the same. We stand in a familial relationship to God. In the Old Testament the relationship is spoken of as Father/son. In the New Testament, the relationship is that of groom/bride. We are, in fact, adopted sons and daughters of God in his Holy Family. Therefore, we are to love God with the same familial love we have for our spouses and our children, and to love each other as brothers and sisters, for that is what we are. Therefore, when we pledge to our church, we offer presents to the members of our family.

In offering to our Father and our brothers and sisters a present of time, talent, and treasure, the value of our gift in the eyes of God is dependent, to a significant degree, on how thoughtfully we have made it. When we have considered what we have received from God, and what we shall return to Him in thanksgiving and for the good of his children—our brothers and sisters—we will inevitably give gifts that represent a commitment and that are consistently given.

Pledging to give a specific amount, in a specific period, is the sign of our commitment. The pledge card that we ask you to complete is not only, or even primarily, a financial tool for us to be able to budget for the upcoming year. Its primary purposes are two-fold. First, it is a tool for us all to use to make an intentional commitment of our time and our treasure; that is, to make a firm decision about what we can give. Second, a specific commitment is also an acknowledgement of our relationships. It recognizes our relationship to God as one of dependence and thanksgiving. It is an understanding that our relationship to others is one of an obligation of love to provide for them out of the substance of what we ourselves have received.

Some believe that giving that is spontaneous is giving that is more pleasing. Spontaneous gifts, such as unplanned contributions to disaster relief, are certainly laudable, since they represent a compassionate heart. However, this type of giving should be over and above what we normally give. Regular giving, on the other hand, represents the normal mode of giving. The intention to please God and neighbor, before any urgent need arises, demonstrates faithfulness.

Again, many are uneasy about making a commitment because of the fear that life circumstances may change for the worse, such that the level of giving decided upon would represent a strain upon a revised financial situation. We will find the answer to this if we look again at the cartoon on the front. We buy houses on 30-year mortgages, cars on 7-year plans, we make investments with withdrawal penalties, we loan money to family members, use credit cards, buy household goods "with no payment until . . .", and much more besides. All of these represent moral and legal obligations to which we pledge ourselves in spite of an unknown future. Why is a pledge to the Church, to Jesus as the author of our salvation, to a faithful, loving, and generous Father, different? Because we do not see thanking God as a primary responsibility, but an optional afterthought. We must have a car and a house to function, but we don’t need to give to the church. This is shown, not only by neglecting to pledge, but also by giving to God after we have taken care of all our bills and wants. If we reconsider this, however, we quickly see that the need to thank God is a true need, a need that is not imposed from without, but arises from within. We all have the desire to thank those who have helped us. All we need do is consider what we have received from God, and we will then feel the need to acknowledge this, from a sincere and grateful heart.

What we ask you to consider is a change in your outlook. Try something different this year. If God is truly the source of everything good that you have, if the only reason you have anything is because He provides it, then this should be recognized in how we live as his true stewards. We ask, then, that you consider a change in how you give of time and treasure.

• Take stock of all the blessing in your life and, based on that, consider giving to God a portion of what you have received, or increasing the amount of your gifts of time and treasure.

• Consider sacrificial giving; that is, contributing time or talent from the substance of what you have, not the excess, and doing so as a recognition that God will provide for your future as he has for your past.

• Consider giving to Him first, before any other obligation, as a sign of rightly ordered priorities.

• Consider making a pledge as a true commitment. The bank will foreclose on a house if payments are not made; God will provide when our necessary obligations cannot be met.

• And, lastly, give with a cheerful countenance, as a sign of filial trust in a loving Father.

Tim McDonald, Pastoral Assistant for Administration